The present invention relates to an improved machine-pistol for cartridges of different types.
It is known that a portable weapon of the type defined as a "machine-pistol" is usually designed and manufactured on the basis of the characteristics of one and only one, existing type of standard cartridge.
The consequence of such a usual design is that the use of the machine piston is tied to the use of only that cartridge type the pistol was manufactured for.
The design efforts carried out to date in the field of machine guns have led to accomplishments all directed to the principle of minimizing weight and overall dimensions. However, such guns are usuable only with nine-gauge Parabellum cartridges with cases.
This type of cartridge allows, the use of an extremely simple weapon, thanks to the adoption of the known system of mass shutting.
However, caseless cartridges also exist, which, as compared to the cartridges of traditional Parabellum type including cases, have the following basic advantages: caseless cartridges are lighter (about 60%) and hence, with their weight being the same, the number of cartridges in an individual supply can be increased by about 67%; caseless cartridges also have an exit speed higher by about 20% than that of the traditional cartridges, and thus they hit the target with a greater penetration energy at the shooting distance; and caseless cartridges eliminate the bothersome need of recovering the cases at the end of shooting. Also by being formed of one piece only, caseless cartridges are simpler, cheaper, and allow shooting to be carried out in the absolute absence of typical drawbacks caused by the ejection of the cases. Hence, caseless cartridges can be used in full safety on board of any civil or military (terrestrial, maritime, air) transport means, and without damages, malfunctionings or the immobilization being caused to the transport means, in particular to aircraft, wherein it is a matter of flight safety. Finally, caseless cartridges also allow no traces to be left in the postings the shooting was carried out in.
For caseless cartridges, to date no machine pistols have been developed which are endowed with the characteristics of simpleness and of minimum weight and overall dimensions which are typical of the machine pistol for the above mentioned nine-gauge Parabellum cartridge.